11 Classic Dribble Drive Motion Drills

Warm ups
Drop Layups

What makes it great

Coach Walberg uses the drop layup serires to warmup instead of traditional layup lines. It's
tough to pick up, but once picked up players will be learning how to make decisions in the drop
zone and cut off ball in the DDM.

Instructions

1. 1 drives from the slot into the drop zone and hesitates at the elbow.
2. 2 basket cuts back door from the corner and catches the pass and lays it up.
3. For the second part of the series, the 2 throws up a lob for the big.
4. For the third part of the series, 1 relocates to the wing, the weak side 5 moves into the
paint.
5. 2 reverse pivots and passes to the 1, then fill cuts to the weak side corner.
6. 1 takes the 3 point jumper, if he misses 5 tips it in.
7. Guards swap lines (from corner to slot) after each shot.

Coaching points

 I've labeled the forward as a 5 but coach Walberg refers to him as a 4. His reason being
is that 5's want to play like 4's and his offense suits that style of play.
 It's important that the 2 waits until the 1 stops in the drop zone before back
cutting. After all, in a real game, if the 1 gets all the way to the rack, the 2 would have
brought his man in the way.
 Lobs should be thrown overhand, not underhand- underhand lobs get stolen.

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Drop Layups Dribble Away

Instructions

1. 1 drives from the slot into the drop zone and hesitates at the opposite elbow.
2. 2 relocates to the wing, and 5 fill cuts to the opposite low post.
3. For the first part of the series, 1 reverse pivots and passes to the 2, who shoots the 3.
4. For the second part of the series, the 5 seals the low post and catches an entry pass
from the 2. He then scores off a post move.

Coaching points

 Remember spacing! The 1 starts from the NBA 3 point line, which is 2 feet behind the
high school one.
 Make sure your 1 doesn't jump when he kicks the ball out to the wing. Jumping to pass
is obvious to the defense and leads to turnovers in game. Use a jump stop and pivot
instead.

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Drop Layups Kick Up

Instructions

1. 1 drives from the slot into the drop zone and hesitates at the elbow.
2. 2 relocates to the wing and 5 fill cuts to the opposite low post.
3. 1 reverse pivots and passes to 2, before fill cutting to the strong side corner.
4. For the first part of the series, 2 drives middle and lays the ball up
5. For the second part of the series, 2 drives and dumps the ball off to the big, who
finishes.
6. For the third part of the series, 2 drives and kicks up to the relocating 1, who shoots the
3.

Coaching points

 The pass from driving guard to big is always a bounce pass or a lob- straight line passes
get stolen.
 Remember that players who are fill cutting to corners must always back pedal out with
their eyes on the ball, in case a pass comes their way. Never turn your back on the ball.
 Coach Walberg runs the drop layup series for about 4 minutes as a warm
up. Sometimes he runs it with the guards only, or only runs certain parts of the
series. Pick and choose the bits that you need to focus on.

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Teaching Fundamentals
Ball Handling Cone Drills

What makes it great

The dribble drive motion needs but also develops great point guards. This drill mixes up ball
handling and getting to the rack- basically the most important skills your ball handler needs.

Instructions

1. Players line up along the baseline, with balls.

2. Each player dribbles up to a cone, performs a dribble move, then moves on to the next
one.
3. At the end, they circle around a cone and attack the opposite rim.
4. Dribble move at the half court and 3 point line, before laying the ball in

Coaching points

 The dribble moves to run through are: crossovers, between the legs, behind the back
and inside out.
 Make sure your players are stepping sideways after crossing over so that both feet are
outside of the cone. In a game, they'll have to be moving across a much wider player.
 The key to speedy crossovers is to stay low between the cones and keep the ball under
the knees.

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Tip Finish Drill

What makes it great

As we've seen with the drop layups series, the big man gets tons of lob passes and tip finish
opportunities in the DDM. This drill teaches the most important rule in these situations to your
bigs- never bring the ball back down after it's lobbed up to you.

Instructions

1. A coach stands at the free throw line with a ball. 2 post players stand at each low post.
2. Players start jumping in place with their hands up.
3. The coach tip passes the ball to one of the players. They catch it above their head with
2 hands and lay it in off the glass.
4. Run this drill for 1 minute, with a short break, then repeat it 3 times.

Coaching points

 Run this drill as part of a workout for big men by adding in drills like the Mikan,
backboard taps, post moves with a pad, and 1 on 1 post games.
 Players should anticipate the pass and jump in closer to the basket to lay it in.

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1 on 1 on the Run

What makes it great

This drill teaches the "attack" mentality better than any other I've seen. It rewards players who
are fearless and want to get to the rim.

Instructions

1. Players line up just behind the half court circle. A defender stands at the top and a
coach stands near him with a ball.
2. The first player sprints straight to the basket and catches the pass from the coach.
3. They then drive and attack the rim and lay up. If the defender was sagging back, they
can shoot.
4. First player to 5 makes wins.

Coaching points

 It's important your players are reading the defense and not premeditating what they'll
do. Keep things simple- aim to get near the basket then jump up and finish
strong. You're teaching the DDM so your players can't fear contact.
 Remind your guards to stay low when catching the ball, playing upright will slow them
down.

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Cardinal

What makes it great

The dribble drive motion is played at a frenetic pace. This drill teaches players to quickly move
from offense to defense and also is a great conditioning drill.

Instructions

1. Players line up in 2 lines one both ends of the half court line. One player stands at
center court, on defense. 2 other players stand in either corner.
2. The player with the ball passes it to their opposite and they play a 2 on 1.
3. Whoever shoots it or turns it over sprints back to be on defense. They have to run and
touch the half court line before coming back on defense.
4. Meanwhile, another player rebounds and outlets the ball to the corner, who passes it
back to the half court line. Corners swap out with the remaining 2 players.
5. That player passes it to his opposite and they immediately attack for a 2 on 1.
6. Divide your players into teams and the first team to 8 makes wins.

Coaching points

 The passes from corner to half court and across the half court must be 2 hand over
head passes- quicker and over the defense.
 Make sure that on the side to side pass the players on offense aren't leaking out. They
have to stay on the half court line until that pass is made.

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Blood 22

What makes it great

Coach Walberg invented the blood series to teach players DDM concepts via small sided
games. Blood 22 teaches the roles of the point guard and big man. This is Blood 22 as taught
by coach Calipari.

Instructions

1. A big and a defender stands at the low post on each side of the court. At half court, a
guard is defender by another guard. Coach stands on the half court line with a ball.
2. Coach passes the ball to the guard, who tries to blow by his defender.
3. He attacks the rim and tries to lay the ball in or dump it off to the big man.
4. The offense gets one shot attempt and one tip in attempt to score.
5. After the rebound, the defending guard runs to half court to catch the pass and attack
the other side.
6. Play to first team to 8 makes.

Coaching points

 The big man needs to relocate to the other low post if the guard is driving to him. They
also need to make sure to use 2 hands on the tip in for better control.
 The guard needs to try to "clip the hip" of his defender by beating him up the court. The
defender can't move until the guard passes the half court line.

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Blood 44

What makes it great

This drill adds wings to blood 22. It's great for teaching team roles in the DDM via game
situations.

Instructions

1. Players are organized into the DDM set, with 2 wings in the corners and a big in the low
post. A guard stands past half court. These players are guarded, and a coach stands at
half court with a ball.
2. The 1 catches the pass from the coach and drives to the basket. They then play a
regular 4 on 4 with dribble drive motion principle, until a score, turnover or defensive
rebound.
3. The ball is then passed to a 1 from the opposite team, and players swap roles.
4. Play to 8 makes.

Coaching points

 Your wings need to be patient and maintain their spacing so the 1 has gaps to
drive. Remember that the strong side corner only relocates to the wing if he pauses in
the drop zone. The weak side wing always sits tight in the corner until someone fill cuts
to him, whereby he relocates to the wing.
 Reinforce the importance of good shot selection- we want free throws, layups and
3's. There's no point passing the ball to someone inside the perimeter who isn't ready
to take one of those. Make it a turnover if someone catches the ball in the mid range
zone.

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Scramble Drill

What makes it great

Coach Walberg emphasizes with this drill that the dribble drive motion roles doesn't just apply
in the half court. In this drill, your guards blow the ball up the court, wings learn to stay wide
and your bigs to dive to the rim. Fun fact: Coach Calipari refers to this as his 32 drill as its a 3 on
2.

Instructions

1. Players line up on both sides of the half court. 3 players start past the half court with a
ball. 2 players are on defense on either side of the court.
2. 1 outlets the ball to a wing, who attacks the basket from the wing. Play a 3 on
2. Players get a shot attempt and a tip in.
3. Depending on his role, the opposite wing either sprints to the low post (big) or stays
wide in the weak side corner (wing).
4. The guard relocates to the slot for a kick up from the driving wing.
5. After a shot, the next player in line calls for the outlet, and the rebounder passes it to
him. The rebounder and the player in the opposite line join in for a 3 on 2.
6. Split your players into teams and run for 8 makes.

Coaching points

 The wing who attacks has 3 options- shoot himself, kick up to the trailing guard, or lob it
to the big man. Make sure they're making the right option, since one of them will
always be open.
 It's important that the trailing guard relocates in the slot- in line with the lane line above
the 3 point line. The wing making the pass needs to jump stop and reverse pivot to
make this pass.

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Texas 22

What makes it great

In most high school games, both you and your opponent will be pressing. This drill works both
ends of the floor and teaches players how to "rack it" under full court pressure.

Instructions

1. 2 players stand at each elbow, on offense. A defender stands at the top with a ball, and
another under the basket.
2. Defender passes to one of the elbows, and they play a full court 2 on 2.
3. After a defensive rebound, turnover, or make, the ball is inbounded from the
baseline. The offense nows plays defense and makes sure to full front and shadow the
player without the ball.
4. After the inbounds, they play a 2 on 2 the other way. If the ball is stolen, the defense
can try to score again.
5. Swap players after one round, and run until a team has 8 makes.

Coaching points

 Whoever scores is the person full fronting. They've got to stay tight in contact with their
man. The player shadowing stays 5 feet behind and they try and trap to get a 5 second
count.
 On offense, players need to stick to their roles. Big men run to the opposite low post,
wings stay wide.

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